ICC Newsletter – Feb. 26, 2018

First, a reminder. Today, Monday, is the U.S. bishops’ national Call-in Day for Dreamers. You are asked to contact your members of Congress to help the nearly 1.8 million “Dreamers,” who are young people without papers brought into the United States by their parents as children. They may face deportation proceedings as soon as March 6 unless Congress reaches a bi-partisan deal to protect them.

With the first legislative deadline behind us, the Iowa House and Senate spent most of last week in floor debate and sending bills over to the other chamber.
One such bill was Senate File 2113, which would require teachers to obtain one hour of suicide prevention training before license renewal. The ICC supports the bill. The Senate passed the bill unanimously 48-0.

Senate Republican leaders have introduced Senate File 2383, which proposes a set of wide-ranging and complex changes to Iowa’s tax code. The bill was introduced Wednesday and passed out of the Senate Ways and Means Committee along party lines late Thursday afternoon. A fiscal note by the state’s nonpartisan Legislative Services Agency on the bill’s impact has not yet been issued.

The Iowa Catholic Conference offered some comments to the Committee regarding basic principles of taxation and a few specific policies found in the bill.

Proponents say taxes in Iowa would be lowered by more than $1 billion. Will this allow adequate revenues for public education, Medicaid, public safety, a strong safety net, and other acts of government essential to the common good?

SF 2383 increases tax rates for the lowest income people while decreasing rates for higher income people. The ICC appreciates that the bill leaves the Earned Income Tax Credit for low-income working Iowans untouched. Combined with the effect of the new federal standard deduction, which protects additional income from taxes, we are asking if this bill will result in the lowest-income Iowans paying more taxes. No tax reform proposal would be acceptable that increases taxes for families struggling to meet their daily needs in order to finance cuts for higher-income people.

Senate File 2383 provides for a $1 million increase in the amount of tax credits for School Tuition Organizations to help raise money for scholarships for lower-income children to attend a nonpublic school. It also increases the number of families who are eligible for scholarships by increasing the limit on family income from 300 percent of the federal poverty level to 400 percent.

The Iowa Catholic Conference opposes state Constitutional amendments that would make the regulation of guns more difficult.

Senate Joint Resolution 2009 and House Joint Resolution 2009 are proposed state Constitutional amendments that would subject any restrictions of the right of the people to keep and bear arms to “strict scrutiny.” The ICC recommends opposition because it would have the effect of making any regulation of firearms difficult and may put current state law regarding background checks and permitting at risk. These amendments would have to pass both chambers this year, and then again next year, before going to a vote of the people of Iowa in 2020.

The Catholic bishops of the United States have been a consistent advocate of reasonable regulation of firearms for many years. The Church recognizes that recourse to self-defense is legitimate but also that guns are simply too easily accessible.

We also have information on our website regarding Senate File 2311, which makes many changes in the regulation of utilities. So far, the bill has passed the Senate Commerce Committee and is eligible for consideration on the Senate floor.

Our interest in the bill is related to the Church’s teaching on the protection and care of our common home, as found in Pope Francis’ encyclical letter “Laudato Si.” Energy efficiency is a relatively inexpensive way to help us address our energy needs while lessening our reliance on fossil fuels.

Utility customers are charged a fee for energy efficiency programs. SF 2311 would make participation in energy efficiency programs optional, which would likely reduce participation, and therefore reduce the level of investment utilities are required to make in energy efficiency programs. Is now is the time to pull back on the commitments that have been made to lessen our reliance on fossil fuels?

The changes would also reduce financial support for the Weatherization Assistance Program (WAP). WAP reduces the heating and cooling costs for low income persons, particularly the elderly, disabled, and children, by improving the energy efficiency of their homes, thereby reducing the households’ energy bills.

We would appreciate your prayers for our bishops and legislators as they get together for the annual ICC Legislative Breakfast on Tuesday at the State Capitol. It’s an informal way for the bishops and our board and committee members to talk issues with legislators.

About ICC

The Iowa Catholic Conference is the official public policy voice of the bishops of Iowa. At the state legislature we advocate for policies that respect the life and dignity of the human person, and apply the principles of Catholic social teaching to critical issues of the day. We encourage Catholics to inform their conscience and participate in the political process.